With less than a month to go for the upcoming edition of the glitzy Indian Premier League to get underway, teams have started assembling and several players, including Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni have already started training.
Dhoni is one of the early birds to hit the nets for the upcoming IPL season, even as rumours around his retirement from IPL do the runs. Rumours around the former Indian skipper’s retirement from IPL have been doing the rounds for a while now, but with no concrete statement from Dhoni, he will once again lead CSK in the IPL.
Many have pegged this to be the 41-year-old’s last IPL season. One of Dhoni’s closest friends, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina provided a major update on Dhoni’s retirement plans.
The former CSK player, who is currently representing India Maharajas at the Legends League Cricket, said Dhoni might as well end up playing next season as well.
Speaking on the sidelines of LLC, Raina said, “I wish he could, but we’ll have to see what his commitments are. He can play the IPL next year as well, you never know.
“He has been batting well and looking fit, it depends on how the performance is this year. It may be a little challenging since him and (Ambati) Rayudu haven’t played the tournament in a year,” said Raina.
As Dhoni gears up for the next season, clips of him hitting the ball in the nets have already taken social media by storm.
Before signing off, Raina added that Dhoni was looking good in the nets and could lead CSK to a record-equalling fifth IPL title. The former Indian batter said, “He picks the phone, we stay in touch. Haas… jamm ke practice kar rate hain (he’s practicing very hard), you must have seen the videos of him. The way he is playing the big shots (in the nets). I hope he does well and makes them win.”
Chennai Super Kings will open their season on the opening day of the 16th edition. MS Dhoni-led CSK will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans on March 31st at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
